[PC] Portal 2 user-created levels

So Portal 2's new level editor is out, and it's surprisingly easy to use. While I've seen a lot of really poor-quality maps lately, there are a few that the community have produced that are really golden.

I've built five of them as of now. The first two are a bit simple, but the other ones, hopefully, should give people some challenge.

Steam Workshop :: Order of Operations

Steam Workshop :: Compact

Steam Workshop :: Exchange

Steam Workshop :: Vats of Goo

Steam Workshop :: Barrier

Steam Workshop :: Precarious

More importantly though, I thought it'd be neat to see what (if anything) other ZUers have cooked up for the game so far.

Haven't got around to trying this out yet, but will give it a go tonight. I love the idea of sharing maps though within the community.

Should be interesting to see other people's demonic test chamber designs.

I only found out about this today. Doubt I would be able to create anything that isn't just an obstacle course. Will definitely try out other people's maps.

Steam Workshop :: Vats of Goo

Map number four right here. Possibly rage-inducing.

Unfortunately this is only available to PC and Mac players right now. Hopefully Valve will be able to bring it to the consoles too eventually, but for now all Windows and Mac owners of Portal 2 can download the new map editor and sharer for free.




There's already nearly 40,000 levels available to play, though most are probably terrible. You can see the top rated ones here. If you own Portal 2 just log in to your Steam Community profile and press the subscribe button on any map's page to add it to your queue, you don't even have to have Portal 2 installed yet. Then next time you open up the game it will download the chambers for you quietly in the background and you can jump straight into them with the new "Community Test Chambers" button in the main menu.


You can make your own of course, and the editor is really simple to use. Here's my first one is anyone wants to try it.

Merged your thread into the existing thread. Check the first page, brother!

Sorry!

Steam Workshop :: Barrier

Surely I can't be the only one making these right now. ZU, you disappoint me.

Steam Workshop :: Precarious

I AM A PUZZLE WHORE

I've made two myself, one is a little easy and the other is a tad harder.
The one is a tad harder is this one:

Steam Workshop :: All Around - Easy


I really love this creation kit we're given, If you happen to find any bugs in this map, let me know. A few things that may confuse you are intended.

Originally Posted by Mrfohlin

I've made two myself, one is a little easy and the other is a tad harder.
The one is a tad harder is this one:

Steam Workshop :: All Around - Easy


I really love this creation kit we're given, If you happen to find any bugs in this map, let me know. A few things that may confuse you are intended.

Okay, this is going to be a long (and kind of critical) post, but please don't take it the wrong way. Based on your two maps, you're getting better, and I don't want to discourage you.

The first one on your Workshop page (the one you didn't link here) was unwinnable as far as I could tell. The laser beams are too high to be properly redirected using the cubes. Be sure you can actually finish your levels before posting them. I may have missed something by not using a more "advanced" technique, but if you rely on obscure tricks, exploiting the physics engine, exceptionally precise platforming, crate stacking, etc. then chances are your maps are also going to be unwinnable for 95% or more players, even if they know exactly what to do.

There were several other problems beyond the fact that I couldn't finish it, though.

First, positioning of objects. It should always be clear, when the player activates something or performs an action of some sort, exactly what the effect was. If I press a button, I expect to see exactly what it does without having to hunt around the level. Force the player to look in the direction if you have to, use glass walls so the player can see things in other rooms, etc. It makes a huge difference in playability. Remember, you know everything about your own levels; other players do not.

Second, lighting. Lights are needed both to see, as well as to highlight important things for the player. This is especially important in large rooms, where objects of interest might not always be obvious. There were several surfaces I could portal to in that first level that I had no idea existed, because they were shrouded in darkness, and other things were just hard to notice because of the lack of lighting to highlight them.

Third, avoid lots of useless open space. That first level has a very, very long corridor with two turrets in it that serves pretty much no purpose; the entire concept (dodge the turrets by portaling around them) could have been accomplished in 1/10th of the same space. Making the player walk back and forth for 30 seconds with nothing to do isn't fun.

Now, the second level you made (and the one you posted above) was much better, especially because I could finish it. However, it had some additional issues. The biggest, beyond unnecessary size (really, it could have been 1/5 of that size), was a lack of obvious cause and effect. While I spent a lot of time walking around and collecting cubes, it was rarely clear what all the buttons and switches were actually doing.

Furthermore, I don't know if I completed it the way you intended. All of the tractor beams around the outside of the level were completely useless; I ended up winning by stepping on a faith plate and getting thrown into the highest beam, which took me towards the exit.

I also think I ran into a strange bug while playing - I landed in the water, but didn't die, and swam to the end. I'm not sure if this was intentional (as far as I know you can't make non-deadly water), but if it wasn't, then getting through that long portal maze above the water would have been pretty frustrating. Once the player has solved your main puzzle, don't make him/her do exceptionally difficult things to reach the end. A small obstacle is fine, but to lose at the last minute because of something that was not clear before-hand is not fun. If anything, give the player a cool reward at the end, like a dramatic faith plate-powered flying finish to the exit, or some other neat-looking sequence.

One tip - look at official Valve levels from Portal 1 or 2, or top user-created levels, try to figure out what their creators did, and then create similar ones yourself, and rearrange the pieces to make a new puzzles or level layouts. Don't just copy, but try to understand why their puzzles work well in the first place.

Again, I want to stress - you have some good ideas and your second level was an improvement over the first. Keep working on things, try to keep what I said in mind, and if possible, get a friend to try out your levels. Watch that friend play and see how he/she goes through them. Does he/she get stuck in the wrong places? Does he/she miss obvious things? Can he/she finish the level without resorting to things you didn't intend? Does he/she use exploits or bypass obstacles? You'll learn more watching one or two people playtest your levels, and then fixing your problems, than from reading a post like mine.

Thanks for the critcism! I'll get working on redoing stuff. About the first level, it was more of a "Okay, what can I do?" I don't think I finished it at all so it's "broken".

The 2:nd level is a little too big I'm aware.

Furthermore, I don't know if I completed it the way you intended. All of the tractor beams around the outside of the level were completely useless; I ended up winning by stepping on a faith plate and getting thrown into the highest beam, which took me towards the exit.

It's intended. The opposite tractor beams is supposed to confuse the player.

I'm aware of the button problem!